Critics agree that much of Southeast Asia desperately needs judicial reform and rule of law. Yet, there is remarkably little comparative scholarship on law and legal institutions in the region. In this blog, I'll follow constitutional developments in Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Survey says... judicial corruption is still a problem (Indonesia)

My past few posts about Indonesia have mentioned surveys about corruption and the extent of the problem. A new survey by the Indonesian Legal Roundtable suggests that the judiciary's reputation remains low - amongst the lowest of all government institutions in the country. According to ILR, only 23% of respondents believed judges could not be bribed. 32% believed that businessmen could easily influence the judiciary, while 30% believed political parties could influence the judiciary.

Of course, perception doesn't always equal reality. These results don't necessarily tell us the extent of corruption in the judiciary. However, courts do rely upon public opinion for institutional support and depend upon citizens to file cases. With such low confidence ratings, there's a real risk that, rather than spurring judicial reforms, dissatisfaction with the courts will spur apathy.

For the record, ILR does not mention the Mahkamah Konstitusi and it appears most Indonesians don't immediately think of the MK when asked to evaluate "the judiciary." The latest polls I've seen about the MK (still several years old) suggest that a majority of people have confidence in the court, but large numbers of people still aren't fully aware of it or what it does.

For a summary of ILR's findings, see this Jakarta Postarticle. For an executive summary of the survey results, see here.

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About Dom

Dominic Nardi is a third year Ph.D. student at the University of Michigan in the Political Science Department. He is interested in judicial politics in developing countries, particularly Myanmar, the Philippines, and Indonesia. His dissertation research focuses on how non-state actors influence judicial behavior. In addition to his research at the U of M, he has also worked for legal organizations in Indonesia and the Philippines and has published articles about judicial politics in Southeast Asia both in law reviews and in popular media.